Tuesdays 6-7pm, KZFR 90.1 FM Chico

This week we will take up two Ecotopian topics. In the first part of the program, we’ll talk about electric automobiles. Our guest will be Stephanie Janczak, Manager of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Policy for the Ford Motor Company. She’ll be talking about some of the ways in which Ford is preparing to meet consumer demand for all-electric vehicles.

And then we will speak with Carl Ochsner, who is the Executive Director of Work Training Center, Inc., the northstate organization that provides services to people with disabilities and, among other projects, runs Fair Street Recycling.

Sorry, no show recording available this week 🙁

Our Questions for Stephanie Janczak

Stephanie is Manager of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Policy for the Ford Motor Company. Ford recently sent out a press release describing “20 Cool Places to Charge Your Electric Vehicle,” including some in California as well as others from Hawaii to New York. We’d like to ask about those places and, more broadly, how electric cars can contribute to a cleaner environment.

Please tell us a little about your job with Ford. What are your responsibilities concerning “Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Policy”?

The Ford web site makes distinctions between hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric cars. Please tell us a little about those distinctions. Which of those can use a charging station?

Ford is introducing an all-electric Focus with the 2012 models. You are also promoting one called the C-Max. Can you tell us about these? What is their mileage range between charges? How long does it take to recharge?

Why did you decide to make a list of “20 Cool Places” to charge your electric vehicle? The closest site to Chico on your list is Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco about 170 miles from Chico. Are there other, possibly less cool places in California that are closer to home for us? How does one find a charging station?

[Note to Stephanie: One cool place NOT on your list is the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico. Sierra Nevada has an impressive record of sustainable business practices and has a charging station in the parking lot outside its restaurant. Generally speaking, we found it difficult to go online and fine charging stations.]

Who owns and operates these charging stations? Do they work with all varieties of electric vehicles currently on the road? What does it cost to fill the tank of an electric, and how does that compare with gasoline or diesel fillups–what’s the cost per mile?

Electric trolly buses in San Francisco are boldly labeled “emission free.” While that’s technically correct, it’s misleading, since the electricity they use may be generated in conventional coal and gas generating plants that are not “emission free.” And there is the cost of transmitting electricity from the generator to the electrical outlet. Is something like the 2012 electric Focus really cleaner than a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle?

Some states (including California) are demanding that power companies increase their percentage of “clean” electricity from green sources. How do you see this affecting not only electric vehicle sales, but the future of the planet? (Will there ever be–or is there already–a practical all-electric with solar panels on its roof?)

What does Ford project to be the demand for all-electrics (and electricity-based variations) over, say, the next 20-30 years?

Where can people learn more–specifically about Ford’s all electrics, and more broadly, about charging stations and the future of electrics?

Carl Ochsner is the Executive Director of Work Training Center, Inc., a northstate organization that provides services to people with disabilities. Most of us know WTC best for its Fair Street Recycling Center (with locations in Chico, Oroville, and Magalia), but the WTC has an amazing range of programs we’d like to hear about.

WTC has been around since 1949. Why and how was it created? What is your mission?

Because most of us are familiar with Fair Street, please explain that as an example of the kinds of programs you run. Where do the trainees come from? How long are they at the Center? What skills do they learn?

You have a number of other programs. As our time permits, let’s discuss several:

Creative Learning Center

Do It Leisure

Joe McGie Center

Made in Paradise

The Landscape Service

Sierra Center

Social Skills Training

Please tell us about funding for these programs. We know that the projects produce some income, but are their outside public or private sources as well?

What are your hopes for the future for WTC?

You have a Turkey Dinner and Raffle coming up in November. What will that event involve? Is it open to the public?

How can our listeners learn more about your work and/or become involved?

We’ve been talking with Carl Ochsner, Executive Director of the Work Training Center. For sure, listeners, visit their website <http://wtcinc.org/home/welcome.html> and see what you can do to participate in this very Ecotopian project.